Film & Media Studies Undergraduate Course Descriptions
Winter Quarter
| Dept | Course No and Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 75 MEDIA & IDENTITIES | HILDERBRAND, L. |
| Film and television are representational media. Questions of representation—of who is represented on screen and who is behind the camera—continue to drive public and academic discussions of film and media. We often celebrate the ideas of feeling seen, of giving voice, of telling our stories, of making progress toward inclusion. How do representations shape our worldviews and our senses of self? How do representations change over time? Do we need more positive representations or more authentic representations—and what is the difference? What is meaningful inclusion? Must any representation of a marginalized character be understood as political? Is representation enough? Does representation reflect or drive structural changes? Does the financial success of media representing historically underrepresented characters change the industry? Does changing who has access to work in the industry change society? How do we do better? Do right? Are these the same thing? This course will take intersectional approaches to grapple with these questions and more. Includes in-class screening time. Open to all majors. Satisfies GE IV and VI. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 86 INTRO TV | PERLMAN, A. |
| This course introduces students to critical approaches to the study of television. We will examine diverse theoretical and conceptual approaches to the study of television; evaluate how television as a storytelling form communicates with audiences, with particular attention paid to television’s aesthetics and representational practices; and explore the relationship (institutional, textual, and interpretive) between television and the larger social, political, and economic context or culture in which it was imagined, developed, and has been challenged and transformed. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 101B STUDIO ERA | PAYTON, P. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 110 FILM & MEDIA THEORY | KAMIL, M. |
| This seminar will focus on the figures of cyborgs, androids, and robots in popular culture. How do these figures embody race, gender, and class? What do cyborgs and androids reveal about techno-culture, networked society, and the relationship between humans and technology? | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 110 FILM & MEDIA THEORY | KAMIL, M. |
| This seminar will focus on the figures of cyborgs, androids, and robots in popular culture. How do these figures embody race, gender, and class? What do cyborgs and androids reveal about techno-culture, networked society, and the relationship between humans and technology? | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 111 THEORY AND PRACTICE | DAUCHAN, D. |
| This seminar on theory and practice in film takes as its primary focus the issue of realism in film. In addition to reading theory we will use exercises in digital film production and editing to understand film realism. We will look at montage, sound, film movement, directing, and mise en scene in order to understand how ideology works in tandem with style. We will examine films as diverse as early silent film, Soviet montage, classical Hollywood, Third cinema, documentary, and experimental video. The prerequisites for this course are FLM&MDA 85A-B-C, FLM&MDA 120A, and one course from the FLM&MDA 101 series. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 117A INTRO SCREENWRITING | DAUCHAN, D. |
| Students learn about "the world of the screenwriter" by reading and studying screenplays, and writing parts of them-including the beat outline, treatment and character biography. Assignments include reading, viewing and analyzing selected films; and writing short essay responses to prompts that explore facets of the screenplay such as structure, character and theme. The final grade is based on participation, attendance, discussion board posts, and a traditional feature length screenplay project. The prerequisite for this course is FLM&MDA 85 | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 120A BASIC PRODUCTION | CANE, E. |
| This course introduces the fundamentals of filmmaking using digital video. It is designed for students who have little or no production experience. There will be lectures, workshops and discussions. Assignments provide hands-on learning of the basic elements of filmmaking. From cinematography, lighting, and sound, to writing a short script and editing with Adobe Premiere Pro, this class takes you through the production process culminating in each student's completion of their own short 3-5 minute digital film. At times students will be divided into production teams and will be expected to collaborate. Class is organized as a workshop; everyone will know your characters, your script, etc. You will be expected to share and participate at every stage of the production process. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 120B INTERMED PRODUCTION | CANE, E. |
| This course is designed to expand your filmmaking skills and to help you develop your vision as a director. We will cover a variety of approaches such as documentary filmmaking, as well as traditional narrative filmmaking. Class is structured to help you find your voice as a filmmaker and to improve your ability to collaborate with others. There will be lectures, in-class exercises, outside projects, screenings and discussions. You will be required to share and participate at every stage of the production process. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 130 HIP HOP CULTURE | DAULATZAI, S. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 139W WRITING ON FILM&MDA | GUTIERREZ, A. |
| This class is designed to help you think and write about film and media. Students will work on critical thinking, reading, and humanistic academic writing skills. This quarter’s focus will be on examining the participation and representation of Latinxs in media. We will examine the production, representations, and cultural meaning of Latinxs in media and reflect on the impact of Latinx media production on identity formation. Special attention will be paid to the intertwined questions of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 139W WRITING ON FILM&MDA | HATCH, K. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 162 NEW HOLLYWOOD | HATCH, K. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 146 AUDIO CULTURES | EKANAYAKE, A. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 185 LATINX TV & MEDIA | GUTIERREZ, A. |
| Latinxs have formed an important part of the televisual fabric of America, ranging from Desi Arnaz’s “Ricky Ricardo” in I Love Lucy to television series such as Chico and the Man, Ugly Betty, and Pose. In the last decade, Latinx independent content creators and multiplatform networks such as mitú and Pero Like have offered trailblazing content through social media entertainment. This course surveys the participation and representation of Latinxs in U.S.-based English- and Spanish-language television and new media entertainment. Throughout the quarter we will chronicle the history of Latinxs in English-language commercial, cable, and public television; the origins and workings of U.S. Spanish-language television networks and programming; and the renaissance of Latinx television in streaming platforms, such as Netflix. The course will conclude with the advent of new media, paying particular attention to Latinx independent webseries and social media entertainment. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 191 AI & VR IN SOCIETY | MUHTASEB, A. |
| This course (AI & VR in Society) critically examines Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) through the lens of media and communication studies. Students will: *Analyze how emerging technologies reshape the production, distribution, and reception of media *Explore applications such as immersive storytelling, 360-degree filmmaking, and AI-driven content creation and analysis *Combine theoretical study with hands-on experience in the VR classroom *Situate immersive and AI technologies within historical, cultural, and ethical contexts *Develop a critical understanding of the impact of these technologies on contemporary media and society | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 192 CINEMATOGRAPHY | KAMALAKANTHAN, P. |
| This course introduces students to critical approaches to the study of television. We will examine diverse theoretical and conceptual approaches to the study of television; evaluate how television as a storytelling form communicates with audiences, with particular attention paid to television’s aesthetics and representational practices; and explore the relationship (institutional, textual, and interpretive) between television and the larger social, political, and economic context or culture in which it was imagined, developed, and has been challenged and transformed. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 192 EDITING | KAMALAKANTHAN, P. |
| No detailed description available. | ||
| FLM&MDA (W27) | 194 HISTORY OF COMPUTING | KRAPP, P. |
| One aim of a history of computing is to explore how the computer becomes a meta-medium. This course traces neither a history of the industry, nor a history of calculating devices, but follows the contours of debating the history of computing. Historicizing the conceptual inventory of digital culture from analog and early digital machines to mainframes and from minicomputers and microcomputers to the creation of decentralized networks, this course asks how the world got into the computer. | ||
